JP2007152559A - Refill unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact refill unit which enables simple interchanging operation of an ink cartridge and can contribute to downsizing designing of an inkjet recorder. <P>SOLUTION: The refill unit 70 is equipped with a door 76 through which the ink cartridge 63 is inserted and removed. The door 76 is locked by a lock member 91 in a blocking posture. The lock member 91 is engaged with a case 75. Locking of the door 76 is released by a lock releasing lever 92. The lock releasing lever 92 releases the engagement of the lock member 91 and the case 75 with each other by rotation. The lock releasing lever 92 is made freely turnable between an accommodation position where the lever is accommodated in a door body 89 and a neutral position where the lever is inclined by approximately 45°. The lock releasing lever 92 releases the engagement of the lock member 91 and the case 75 with each other by being further fallen from the neutral position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of a refill unit mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus.

  The ink jet recording apparatus records an image on the recording paper by ejecting ink droplets from the recording head onto the recording paper being conveyed. Ink is generally stored in advance in a cartridge-type ink tank (ink cartridge), and is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head. Therefore, when the remaining amount of stored ink decreases, the ink cartridge needs to be replaced with a new one (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 5). In general, an ink cartridge is housed and held in a case, and this case is built in an ink jet recording apparatus.

  In this case, there are a so-called on-carriage type and off-carriage type when roughly classified by the arrangement position of the ink cartridge. The on-carriage type is capable of reciprocating in a direction intersecting the recording paper conveyance direction, and an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage on which a recording head is mounted. That is, the required case described above is provided on the carriage, and ink is supplied from the ink cartridge accommodated and held in the case to the recording head. On the other hand, in the off-carriage type, a required case is provided somewhere in the ink jet recording apparatus except on the carriage, and an ink cartridge is accommodated and held in this case. That is, an ink cartridge and a case are configured as a unit in advance, and this unit is incorporated somewhere in the ink jet recording apparatus. Accordingly, the ink is supplied from the case holding and holding the ink cartridge to the recording head by an ink supply pipe or the like. This unit is particularly referred to as a “refill unit”.

  The case of the refill unit generally includes a door. The door is closed with the ink cartridge accommodated in the case. Thereby, the ink cartridge is reliably accommodated and held in the case. An ink supply needle is disposed inside the case, and when the ink cartridge is accommodated in the case, the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink cartridge. As a result, the ink in the ink cartridge is sent to the recording head via the ink supply needle, the ink supply tube, and the like. When the ink cartridge is replaced, the door is opened and the ink cartridge is taken out from the case (for example, see Patent Document 6).

JP 11-348303 A JP-A-10-109427 JP 2004-345246 A JP 2005-219416 A JP 2005-96446 A JP-A-6-106730

  The replacement operation of the ink cartridge must be easy for the user of the ink jet recording apparatus. When the refill unit that accommodates and holds the ink cartridge is arranged on the front side of the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink jet recording apparatus is usually installed so that the front surface faces the user. Sometimes it will be exposed to the user. For this reason, it is convenient for the user to replace the ink cartridge. In addition, in order to perform the ink cartridge replacement operation quickly, the door of the refill unit needs to have a structure that can be easily opened. In order for the door to be opened and closed easily and quickly, it is desirable that the door is provided with a knob or a lever, and that the outer dimensions of the door are set large.

  In addition, when the refill unit is built in the casing of the ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary to provide an opening / closing door in the casing of the ink jet recording apparatus in order to expose the refill unit when the ink cartridge is replaced. Moreover, in order for the door of the refill unit to be easily operated when the door is opened, the refill unit should be disposed in the vicinity of the door.

  However, when the outer dimensions of the knobs or levers provided on the door of the refill unit are set large as described above, the knobs or levers protrude from the case of the refill unit, so the outer dimensions of the refill unit are large. Become. Therefore, a space for accommodating the knob or the like must be secured between the casing wall surface of the inkjet recording apparatus and the opening / closing door, and as a result, the casing of the inkjet recording apparatus incorporating the refill unit is also enlarged. This is contrary to the recent demand for a lightweight and compact design of an inkjet recording apparatus.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a compact refill unit in which an ink cartridge can be easily and quickly replaced and can contribute to downsizing design of an ink jet recording apparatus.

  (1) In order to achieve the above object, the refill unit according to the present invention has an opening through which the ink cartridge is inserted / removed provided on the front surface, and a holding portion for receiving and holding the ink cartridge is formed continuously from the opening. Sliding between a closed case, a door that changes between a closed posture that closes the opening and an open posture that opens the opening, a protruding position that protrudes from the door, and a retracted position that retreats from the protruding position to the door side A lock bar that is displaceable and locks the door in the closed position by engaging the case at an intermediate position between the protruding position and the retracted position, and releases the engagement by displacing to the retracted position. And a neutral position tilted in a direction away from the front surface of the case when the door is in a closed posture, and a storage along the front surface of the case that stands up from the neutral position. And a lock release lever that displaces the lock bar from the intermediate position to the retracted position by being displaced from the neutral position to the lying down position.

  When the door is closed in a state where the ink cartridge is accommodated in the case, the door is locked in the closed position while the lock bar is slid to the protruding position and displaced to the intermediate position. In addition, when the door is in the closed position, the lock release lever can be freely displaced from the neutral position to the storage position. The lock release lever is pivotally supported by the door, and can be displaced to its neutral position by its own weight when the door is in the closed posture.

  When the lock release lever is in the neutral position, the lock release lever is inclined to the side away from the front surface of the case, so that the person who operates the lock release lever can easily operate the lock release lever. . That is, a person who operates the unlocking lever can easily put his finger on the unlocking lever tilted forward from the front surface of the case, and can turn this to the lying position. When the lock release lever is displaced to the lying position, the door is unlocked and the door can be opened. When the door is opened, the ink cartridge is removed from the case.

  When the lock release lever is displaced to the storage position, the lock release lever follows the front surface of the case. Therefore, the lock release lever does not protrude to the front side of the case, and the external dimensions of the refill unit are reduced. Moreover, since the unlocking lever does not protrude to the front side of the case, the door can be substantially horizontal when the door is in the open position. This further simplifies the operation of inserting and removing the ink cartridge from the case.

  (2) The door preferably includes an elastic member that holds the lock bar in a slidable state and constantly urges the lock bar toward the protruding position.

  In this configuration, the lock bar is always elastically biased toward the protruding position, so that as soon as the door is closed, the lock bar slides toward the protruding position and is displaced to the intermediate position. When the lock bar is in the intermediate position, the lock bar is held at the intermediate position by receiving a certain elastic force, so that the lock bar is securely engaged with the case and the door is locked. Is done. Therefore, the operation of replacing the ink cartridge, particularly the operation of closing the door and storing the ink cartridge in the case becomes easier.

  (3) The lock bar includes a contact portion with which a predetermined portion of the lock release lever contacts, and the lock release lever is displaced from the storage position to the lying position at the predetermined portion of the lock release lever. In particular, it is preferable to provide an interlocking cam that presses the abutting portion in conjunction with it to displace the lock bar from the protruding position to the retracted position.

  In this configuration, the interlock cam displaces the lock bar in conjunction with the rotation of the lock release lever. Therefore, the structure for displacing the lock bar is very simple, and as a result, the outer dimensions of the case and thus the outer dimensions of the refill unit are reduced.

  In addition, the lock bar and the unlock lever are interlocked so that when the lock bar is in the protruding position, the lock release lever is displaced to the storage position. Therefore, when the door is opened and the lock bar slides to the protruding position, the lock release lever is automatically displaced to the stowed position. It becomes.

  (4) Preferably, the door includes a storage portion that stores the lock release lever when the lock release lever is displaced to the storage position.

  When the lock release lever changes to the storage position, the lock release lever can be along the front surface of the door by being stored in the storage portion.

  Since the refill unit according to the present invention is built in the front side of the ink jet recording apparatus, the user can perform an ink cartridge replacement operation from the front side of the ink jet recording apparatus. The refill unit lock release lever can be freely displaced between the neutral position tilted away from the front surface of the refill unit case at all times and the storage position along the front surface of the case. Even when the unit is accommodated in the ink jet recording apparatus, the lock release lever is displaced to the neutral position, so that the operation of the lock release lever is facilitated. Therefore, the ink cartridge replacement operation is easily and quickly performed. On the other hand, since the lock release lever can be displaced to the storage position in a state where the refill unit is stored in the ink jet recording apparatus, the external dimensions of the refill unit are reduced. As a result, the downsizing design of the ink jet recording apparatus is possible.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with appropriate reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multi-function device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The multi-function device 10 is an MFD (Multi Function Device) integrally provided with a printer unit 11 at a lower portion and a scanner unit 12 at an upper portion, and has various functions such as a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. . The multi-function device 10 is mainly connected to a computer (not shown), and records an image or a document on a recording sheet as a recording medium based on image data or document data transmitted from the computer. The multi-function device 10 is connected to an external device such as a digital camera and can record image data output from the digital camera on a recording sheet. Furthermore, the multi-function device 10 is provided with a slot portion 61 described later, and when various storage media such as a memory card are loaded in the slot portion 61, image data stored in the storage medium is recorded on the recording paper. It is also possible to record in

  The multi-function device 10 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the printer unit 11 is configured as an ink jet recording apparatus and stores in advance ink supplied to a recording head that ejects ink droplets. 70 is provided on the front of the apparatus, and the refill unit 70 is designed to be compact and allows the operator to easily take out the ink cartridge when replacing the ink cartridge. is there. The present invention is realized as a refill unit 70 incorporated in the multi-function device 10 described below. Therefore, the configuration of the multi-function device 10 is appropriately changed in design without changing the gist of the present invention. It goes without saying that it can be done.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the internal structure of the multifunction device 10. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of the scanner unit 12 (portion indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the scanner unit 12 includes a document placement unit 13 that functions as an FBS (Flatbed Scanner), and a document cover 15 provided thereon. The document cover 15 includes an automatic document feeder (ADF: Auto Document Feeder, hereinafter referred to as “ADF”) 14, and is attached to the back side of the document placement unit 13 through a hinge so as to be freely opened and closed. For this reason, the document cover 15 is opened and closed by rotating in the direction of the arrow 16 with respect to the document placing portion 13. In the present embodiment, the document placement unit 13 is configured by the housing of the multi-function device 10, and the document cover 15 forms a part of the upper surface of the multi-function device 10.

  The document placing unit 13 also serves as a frame of the scanner unit 12. As shown in FIG. 3, a contact glass plate 20 is provided on the top surface 19 of the document placing portion 13. An image reading unit 18 is disposed inside the document placing portion 13. The document is disposed between the document cover 15 and the contact glass plate 20. The image reading unit 18 reads an image from the original by moving below the contact glass plate 20 along the contact glass plate 20, that is, along a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG.

  The image reading unit 18 includes a CIS unit 21, a guide shaft 22, a roller unit 23, and a belt drive mechanism (not shown). In the present embodiment, the image reading unit 18 includes a CIS (Contact Image Sensor). However, instead of the CIS, a reduction optical system image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) may be employed. Of course. The CIS unit 21 includes an elongated rectangular parallelepiped housing 43 that is fitted and supported by the carriage 24. The guide shaft 22 is installed in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The guide shaft 22 passes through the lower end 25 of the carriage 24. That is, the CIS unit 21 is supported by the guide shaft 22 and slides while being guided by the guide shaft 22. The belt drive mechanism includes a timing belt (not shown) driven by a motor, for example. A part of the timing belt is connected to the lower end 25 of the carriage 24. Therefore, when the belt driving mechanism is operated, the carriage 24 moves together with the timing belt, and as a result, the CIS unit 21 moves below the contact glass plate 20.

  The roller unit 23 is provided at both ends of the CIS unit 21. The roller unit 23 is in contact with the back surface 26 of the contact glass plate 20. The roller unit 23 rolls the back surface 26 of the contact glass plate 20 along the movement direction of the carriage 24 as the carriage 24 moves. That is, this roller unit 23 supports smooth movement of the CIS unit 21. Further, the roller unit 23 also serves as a spacer that keeps the distance between the CIS unit 21 and the document placed on the contact glass plate 20 constant.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the document cover 15 includes the ADF 14. The ADF 14 is configured to continuously convey a predetermined number of documents from the document tray 47 to the paper discharge tray 46. A mechanism for continuously conveying the document is built in the document cover 15. Since ADF 14 has a known structure, detailed description thereof is omitted. However, in the present embodiment, this ADF 14 may be omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an internal configuration of the printer unit 11 (portion indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2). In FIG. 4, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is the width direction of the multi-function device 10, and corresponds to the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the printer unit 11 includes an image having a frame constituted by the document placing unit 13 and an ink jet recording head 27 (hereinafter simply referred to as “recording head 27”). And a recording unit 28. That is, in this embodiment, the printer unit 11 is configured as an ink jet recording apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the printer unit 11 includes the refill unit 70. As shown in FIG. 1, the refill unit 70 is built in the front side of the document table 13, that is, on the front surface 71 side. In the present embodiment, the refill unit 70 can accommodate and hold four ink cartridges. Each ink cartridge stores ink of each color of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. Each color ink stored in these ink cartridges is configured to be supplied to the recording head 27 via an ink tube (supply tube). In addition, in FIG. 4, illustration of the ink tube is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the document table 13 constituting the frame of the printer unit 11 has an open / close lid 72 on the front surface 71 side. The opening / closing lid 72 opens and closes an opening 73 provided at an end portion of the front surface 71. Specifically, the open / close lid 72 is rotatable between a posture in which the refill unit 70 is exposed from the opening 73 by tilting forward and a posture in which the refill unit 70 is accommodated by closing the opening 73. It has become.

  Further, the document placing portion 13 has an opening 42 in the center of the front surface, and a paper feed tray 29 is disposed inside the opening 42 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the recording paper sent out from the paper supply tray 29 is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 32 provided in the opening 42 after an image is recorded in the manner described later. A separation inclined plate 30 is disposed on the back side (right side in FIG. 4) of the paper feed tray 29. The separation inclined plate 30 separates the recording paper loaded on the paper feed tray 29 and guides it upward. A sheet conveyance path 31 is formed upward from the separation inclined plate 30. The sheet conveying path 31 extends upward and then curves to the left, and extends from the back side to the front side of the multi-function device 10. Further, the paper transport path 31 passes through the image recording unit 28 and communicates with the paper discharge tray 32. Therefore, the recording paper accommodated in the paper feed tray 29 is guided by the paper conveyance path 31 so as to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side, and reaches the image recording unit 28. After the image recording unit 28 records an image on a recording sheet conveyed through the sheet conveying path 31, the recording sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 32. In FIG. 1, the paper discharge tray 32 and the paper feed tray 29 are not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a paper feed roller 34 is provided above the paper feed tray 29. The paper feed roller 34 separates the recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 29 one by one and supplies it to the paper transport path 31. The structure of the paper feed roller 34 is known, and in this embodiment, the paper feed roller 34 is pivotally supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 35. The paper feed arm 35 can move up and down so as to be able to contact and separate from the paper feed tray 29. The paper feed roller 34 is connected to a motor via a drive transmission mechanism (not shown). The drive transmission mechanism can be configured by meshing a plurality of gears. When the motor operates, the driving force is transmitted to the paper feed roller 34, and the paper feed roller 34 rotates. The rotating paper feed roller 34 sends the recording paper to the paper transport path 31.

  The paper feed arm 35 is supported by a base end shaft 36 and is rotatable around the base end shaft 36. As a result, the paper feed arm 35 can swing in the vertical direction with the base end shaft 36 as the swing center. The paper feed arm 35 is urged toward the paper feed tray 29 by a paper feed clutch or a spring (not shown) when the paper feed tray 29 is mounted. Is to be evacuated. As the paper feed arm 35 rotates downward, the paper feed roller 34 pivotally supported at the tip thereof presses against the surface of the recording paper on the paper feed tray 29. In this state, when the paper feed roller 34 rotates, the frictional force between the roller surface of the paper feed roller 34 and the recording paper feeds the uppermost recording paper to the separation inclined plate 30. The fed recording paper is guided upward with its leading end abutting against the separating inclined plate 30 and fed into the paper transport path 31. Note that when the uppermost recording sheet is sent out by the paper feed roller 34, the recording sheet immediately below the recording sheet may be sent out together by the action of friction or static electricity. However, the recording paper is stopped by contacting the separating inclined plate 30.

  The sheet conveyance path 31 is partitioned by an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval except for a portion where the image recording unit 28 and the like are disposed. In this multi-function device 10, the outer guide surface is constituted by the inner wall surface of the frame of the printer unit 11 constituted by the document placing portion 13, and the inner guide surface is a guide member provided in the frame. It is constituted by the surface. In particular, a conveyance roller may be provided at a location where the sheet conveyance path 31 is bent. Although the conveyance roller is not shown in the figure, the conveyance roller may be provided so as to be rotatable with the width direction of the paper conveyance path 31 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 4) as the rotation center axis direction. The conveying roller is attached such that the roller surface is exposed to the outer guide surface or the inner guide surface. By providing the transport roller, the recording paper is smoothly transported in contact with the guide surface even at a portion where the paper transport path 31 is bent.

  The image recording unit 28 is provided on the downstream side after the sheet conveyance path 31 makes a U-turn from below to above. A platen 37 is provided to face the recording head 27. The recording sheet to be conveyed is sent onto the platen 37. The recording head 27 ejects ink droplets onto a recording sheet disposed on the platen 37. The recording head 27 is mounted on a carriage (not shown). The carriage is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. The position and reciprocation of the recording head 27 are monitored by a carriage encoder (not shown). The recording head 27 ejects the inks of the respective colors as ink droplets onto the recording paper while being reciprocated, whereby an image is recorded on the recording paper.

  A driving roller 39 and a pressing roller 38 are provided on the upstream side of the paper transport path 31 of the recording head 27. The drive roller 39 is rotationally driven by an LF motor (not shown). The driving roller 39 and the pressing roller 38 pinch the recording sheet conveyed through the sheet conveying path 31, and the recording sheet is sent to the downstream side of the sheet conveying path 31 by rotating the driving roller 39. 37.

  A paper discharge roller 40 and a pressure roller 41 are provided on the downstream side of the paper transport path 31 of the recording head 27. The paper discharge roller 40 is rotationally driven by an LF motor that drives the drive roller 39. That is, the paper discharge roller 40 is driven in synchronization with the drive roller 39 via an interlocking mechanism (not shown). The paper discharge roller 40 and the pressing roller 41 pinch the recording paper on which the ink droplets are discharged, and the recording paper is sent to the downstream side of the paper conveyance path 31 by rotating the paper discharge roller 40.

  The pressing roller 38 is elastically biased against the driving roller 39 so as to press the driving roller 39 with a predetermined pressing force. Therefore, when the recording sheet enters between the driving roller 39 and the pressing roller 38, the pressing roller 38 cooperates with the driving roller 39 while elastically retracting the recording sheet by the thickness of the recording sheet. Hold it. Since the recording paper is nipped by the driving roller 39 and the pressing roller 38 in this way, the rotational force of the driving roller 39 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper. The pressing roller 41 is also provided in the same manner as the paper discharge roller 40. However, in this embodiment, since the pressing roller 41 is pressed against the recorded recording paper, the roller surface is formed in a spur shape so as not to deteriorate the image recorded on the recording paper.

  The recording paper held between the driving roller 39 and the pressing roller 38 is intermittently conveyed on the platen 37 with a predetermined line feed width. The recording head 27 is moved forward and / or backward for each line feed of the recording paper, and sequentially records images from the leading end side of the recording paper. The recording sheet on which image recording has been performed is held between the discharge roller 40 and the pressing roller 41 from the leading end side. That is, the recording sheet is conveyed intermittently with a predetermined line feed width with the leading end side sandwiched between the discharge roller 40 and the pressing roller 41 and the trailing end side sandwiched between the driving roller 39 and the pressing roller 38. The image is recorded by the recording head 27 while being conveyed. After an image is recorded on a predetermined area of the recording paper, the paper discharge roller 40 is continuously rotated, and the recording paper held by the paper discharge roller 40 and the pressing roller 41 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 32. The

  As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 45 is attached to the upper inclined surface of the document placing portion 13 constituting the frame of the printer portion 11. The operation panel 45 is a device for operating the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 12, and various operation keys 56 to 58, a liquid crystal display unit 59, and the like are provided on the upper surface 44 thereof. A control device (not shown) for controlling the operation of the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 12 and the operation of the entire multi-function device 10 is provided below the document placing unit 13.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a control board 54 is disposed below the operation panel 45 (inside the document placing portion 13). Various operation keys 56 to 58 arranged on the operation panel 45 are connected to the control board 54 via a flat cable (not shown). The control board 54 is connected to the control device, and the control device processes commands from the various operation keys 56 to 58 to control the operation of the multi-function device 10.

  The user of the multi-function device 10 inputs a desired command using the various operation keys 56 to 58 on the operation panel 45. The multi-function device 10 receives this input and performs a predetermined operation. As described above, a personal computer or the like can be connected to the multi-function device 10. In this case, the multi-function device 10 can be operated not only by an instruction from the operation panel 45 but also by an instruction transmitted from the personal computer via a scanner driver, a printer driver, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the slot portion 61 is disposed on the front surface of the multi-function device 10. A storage medium such as various small memory cards can be mounted in the slot portion 61. The small memory card can store image data, and the image data is read from the small memory card loaded in the slot unit 61, and information about the image data is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 59. Then, an arbitrary image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 59 is recorded on a recording sheet by the printer unit 11. The input for this is performed from the operation panel 45.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the refill unit 70. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

  The refill unit 70 includes a unit main body 74. The unit main body 74 can accommodate and hold the ink cartridge 63.

  The unit main body 74 includes a case 75 into which the ink cartridge 63 is inserted and removed, a door 76 provided on the case 75, and a drawing member 77 provided on the door 76.

  The case 75 is made of, for example, resin and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. A storage chamber 78 (holding portion) in which the ink cartridge 63 is stored and held is formed in the case 75 (see FIG. 6). In the present embodiment, the case 75 has four storage chambers 78, and the four ink cartridges 63 are inserted into and removed from each storage chamber 78. The inner wall surface shape of each storage chamber 78 corresponds to the outer peripheral surface shape of the ink cartridge 63. Therefore, each ink cartridge 63 is securely held in the case 75 without rattling.

  The case 75 includes a bottom plate portion 80, a pair of side plate portions 81 erected on the left and right sides of the bottom plate portion 80, and a top plate portion 82 disposed so as to be bridged between the side plate portions 81. Further, a partition wall (not shown) for partitioning each of the storage chambers 78 is provided. The partition walls are arranged according to the number of ink cartridges 63 accommodated in the case 75. However, the partition wall portion does not need to be provided so as to completely partition each storage chamber 78, and may be formed in at least the bottom plate portion 80 in a rib shape for partitioning between the adjacent storage chambers 78. These bottom plate portion 80, side plate portion 81, top plate portion 82, and partition wall portion are preferably formed integrally.

  A push rod (not shown) protrudes from the back surface of the case 75. The push rod protrudes toward the storage chamber 78, and when the ink cartridge 63 is stored in the case 75, an air introduction valve 85 provided in the ink cartridge 63 (see FIGS. 7 and 13 to 14). Inserted into. Accordingly, air can enter the ink cartridge 63 through the air introduction valve 85, and the ink in the ink cartridge 63 is smoothly sent to the recording head 27 side. As shown in FIG. 6, a liquid level sensor connector 86 is provided on the back surface of the case 75. The liquid level sensor connector 86 is connected to a liquid level sensor 87 (see FIG. 14) provided in the ink cartridge 63 when the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75. The liquid level sensor connector 86 is connected to the control device, and the control device always monitors the remaining amount of ink stored in each ink cartridge 63.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 80 constitutes a placement surface 98 on which the ink cartridge 63 is placed. The height of the mounting surface 98 is such that an ink supply pipe (not shown) is inserted into the ink supply valve 115 (see FIG. 14) of the ink cartridge 63 in a state where the ink cartridge 63 is inserted into the storage chamber 78. The push rod is inserted into the air introduction valve 85 (see FIG. 14) of the ink cartridge 63, and the liquid level sensor connector 86 is engaged with the liquid level sensor 87 (see FIG. 14) of the ink cartridge 63. It is set to be possible.

  As shown in FIG. 6, ribs 124 are provided upright on the top plate portion 80, whereby the rigidity of the case 75 is improved. The top plate portion 80 includes a swing arm 123. FIG. 7 is a side view of the main part of the unit main body 74, and schematically shows the relationship between the opening / closing of the door 76 and the swing of the swing arm 123.

  As shown in the figure, the swing arm 123 is formed in a substantially L shape as a whole, and has a first arm 125 and a second arm 126. A support shaft 127 is disposed at the boundary between the first arm 125 and the second arm 126, and the swing arm 123 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 127. A tension spring 128 is attached between the first arm 125 and the top plate portion 82. As a result, the swing arm 123 is elastically biased so as to always rotate clockwise, that is, in the posture shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Since the swing arm 123 is elastically biased in this way, the swing arm 123 can be changed to the posture indicated by the solid line by receiving a force counterclockwise against the elastic force. As will be described later, the swing arm 123 can be engaged with the upper surface 122 of the ink cartridge 63, and the ink cartridge 63 can be forced out of the storage chamber 78.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an opening 88 is provided in the front surface 79 of the case 75. The opening 88 is provided corresponding to each storage chamber 78. In other words, the storage chambers 78 are provided in the case 75 continuously with the openings 88, and the four ink cartridges 63 are respectively connected to the storage chambers 78 from the front 79 side through the openings 88. It is designed to be inserted and removed.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the unit main body 74 in a state where the door 76 is opened. 9 and 10 are exploded perspective views of the door 76. FIG.

  The door 76 opens and closes the opening 88. The doors 76 are respectively provided in the openings 88. The doors 76 have a posture of closing the openings 88 (closed posture) as shown in FIG. 6 and a posture of opening the openings 88 (open posture) as shown in FIG. The posture changes between them. When the door 76 is in the closed position, the ink cartridge 63 is securely held in the storage chamber 78, and when the door 76 is in the open position, the ink cartridge 63 is easily placed in the storage chamber 78. It is designed to be inserted and removed.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the door 76 includes a door main body 89, a press holding member 90, a lock member 91 (lock bar), and a lock release lever 92 provided on the door main body 89. Each is molded from resin. As shown in FIGS. 6, 9, and 10, the door body 89 is formed in an elongated rectangular plate shape. The outer shape of the door main body 89 corresponds to the shape of the opening 88. A rotation shaft portion 94 is formed at the lower end portion 93 of the door main body 89. The pivot shaft portion 94 is formed integrally with the door body 89. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating shaft portion 94 is supported by the lower portion of the front surface 79 of the case 75. Specifically, a bearing portion 95 is formed at the front end portion of the bottom plate portion 80 of the case 75, and the rotation shaft portion 94 is rotatably fitted in the bearing portion 95. Thereby, the door main body 89 can stand up and close the opening 88 as shown in FIG. 6, and can fall down and open the opening 88 as shown in FIG. 8.

  The drawer member 77 is provided at the lower end 93 of the door body 89. The drawer member 77 is formed integrally with the door body 89. The drawing member 77 is formed in a substantially L shape and has an extending portion 96 and a bent portion 97. The extending portion 96 is provided continuously to the lower end portion 93. As shown in FIG. 6, the extending portion 96 extends rearward from the lower end portion 93 in a state where the door 76 is in the closed posture. The bent portion 97 is continuous with the rear end of the extending portion 96 and extends upward at an angle of approximately 90 °. When the door 76 is in the closed posture, the tip of the bent portion 97 protrudes above the placement surface 98. The door main body 89 rotates about the rotation shaft portion 94 as a center of rotation, whereby the drawer member 77 formed in the L shape also has the rotation shaft portion 94 as shown in FIGS. Rotate around the center. As will be described in detail later, the ink cartridge 63 is pulled out from the storage chamber 78 by rotating the pull-out member 77 in this manner.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the door 76 changes to the open posture, the bent portion 97 of the drawing member 77 rotates counterclockwise around the rotation shaft portion 94. At this time, when the bent portion 97 is rotated, the outer wall surface 110 is changed from a substantially vertically standing state (see FIG. 6) to a substantially horizontal state (see FIG. 8). The length of the extended portion 96 of the drawing member 77 is set to a predetermined dimension. For this reason, when the bent portion 97 is rotated, the outer wall surface 110 is more than the placement surface 98 of the case 75. It is located slightly above, that is, substantially on the extension of the mounting surface 98 and extends in the front-rear direction. The outer wall surface 110 functions as a guide surface for guiding the ink cartridge 63 onto the placement surface 98 in the storage chamber 78 when the door 76 is in the open posture. That is, the drawing member 77 functions as a member for pulling out the ink cartridge 63 from the storage chamber 78 and also functions as a guide member when the ink cartridge 63 is inserted into the storage chamber 78.

  In the present embodiment, two drawer members 77 are provided in each door body 89. That is, each drawing member 77 is disposed to face the door body 89 in the width direction as shown in FIG. By arranging the pair of drawing members 77 in this way, the pair of drawing members 77 sandwich and support the ink cartridge 63 in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the interval (width dimension) d1 (see FIG. 9) between the drawing members 77 is set smaller than the width direction dimension d2 (see FIG. 14) of the ink cartridge 63. The effects obtained by determining the dimensions d1 and d2 in this way will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 6, 8, 9, and 10, the press holding member 90 is attached to the inner side surface of the door main body 89. A claw 146 is provided on both side surfaces of the press holding member 90, and a claw accommodating portion 147 is provided on the door main body 89. The claw 146 protrudes from the side surface of the press holding member 90. The claw accommodating portion 147 is constituted by a groove extending in the front-rear direction of the door main body 89. The claw 146 is slidably fitted into the claw accommodating portion 147, and the press holding member 90 is supported so as to be able to advance and retreat in the front-rear direction with respect to the door body 89. That is, the press holding member 90 can be displaced between a protruding posture (see FIG. 8) raised from the inner surface of the door main body 89 and a retracted posture (see FIG. 6) retracted from the posture to the door main body 89 side. it can. As shown in FIG. 10, a coil spring 99 is interposed between the press holding member 90 and the door main body 89. Therefore, the press holding member 90 is elastically urged so as to always have the protruding posture as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the pressing and holding member 90 contacts the front surface of the ink cartridge 63 when the door 76 is in the closed position, and is relatively pressed by the ink cartridge 63 to move toward the retracted position. Displace. For this reason, the ink cartridge 63 receives the elastic force of the coil spring 99 via the pressure holding member 90 and is pressed backward, so that the ink cartridge 63 is held in a state of being positioned with respect to the case 75. . Therefore, ink leakage from the ink supply valve 115 of the ink cartridge 63 is reliably prevented.

  In this embodiment, the press holding member 90 is formed in a flat plate shape. A wall surface 84 (a surface facing the front surface of the ink cartridge 63 when the door 76 is closed) is formed as a flat surface as shown in FIGS. 5 and 10. A pair of protrusions 141 and 142 are formed on 84. Accordingly, when the door 76 is in the closed position, the protrusions 141 and 142 abut against and press against the front surface of the ink cartridge 63. The protrusions 141 and 142 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the door 76. For this reason, when the door 76 is in the closed position, the pressing holding member 90 does not come into contact with the joint portion 143 of the ink cartridge 63, and the protrusions 141 and 142 come into contact with both sides of the joint portion 143. Become.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lock member 91 is attached to the upper end portion of the door body 89. The lock member 91 includes a main shaft portion 132, a key portion 133 that protrudes inward of the case 75 continuously from the upper end of the main shaft portion 132, and a seat portion 109 that protrudes outward of the case 75 in succession to the lower end of the main shaft portion 132. (Contact part).

  The lock member 91 is supported so as to be able to advance and retract in the vertical direction with respect to the door body 89. A slide rail 101 extends in the vertical direction at the upper end of the door body 89. Further, a slide groove 102 extending in the vertical direction is provided in the main shaft portion 132 of the lock member 91 (see FIG. 9). The slide rail 101 is inserted into the slide groove 102, so that the lock member 91 can slide up and down.

  Claws 144 are provided on both side surfaces of the main shaft portion 132. These claws 144 protrude outward from the main shaft portion 132. When the lock member 91 is fitted into the door body 89, the claw 144 is accommodated in the claw accommodating portion 145 provided on the main shaft portion 132 (see FIG. 10). This claw accommodating part 145 is comprised from the groove | channel extended only predetermined length to an up-down direction. Therefore, when the lock member 91 slides upward or downward, the claw 144 comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the claw accommodating portion 145, thereby restricting the slide of the lock member 91 in the vertical direction.

  The slide range of the lock member 91 is defined by setting the length of the groove constituting the claw accommodating portion 145 to a predetermined dimension. When the lock member 91 slides upward with respect to the door main body 89 and the claw 144 abuts on the upper edge of the inner wall surface of the claw receiving portion 145, the lock member 91 protrudes upward from the upper end of the door main body 89. Become posture. In the present specification, the position where the lock member 91 abuts on the upper edge of the inner wall surface of the claw accommodating portion 145 is defined as a “projection position”. Further, when the lock member 91 slides downward with respect to the door main body 89 and the claw 144 comes into contact with the bottom edge of the inner wall surface of the claw accommodating portion 145, the lock member 91 is retracted inside the door main body 89. Become posture. In the present specification, the position where the lock member 91 contacts the bottom edge of the claw accommodating portion 145 is defined as the “retracted position”.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a coil spring 100 (elastic member) is interposed between the lock member 91 and the door body 89. Therefore, the lock member 91 is elastically biased so as to always protrude upward from the door body 89, that is, in a direction to be displaced to the protruding position.

  Further, the upper surface 103 of the key portion 133 of the lock member 91 is an inclined surface inclined downward. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 6, when the door 76 changes from the open position to the closed position, the upper surface 103 of the lock member 91 contacts the upper edge 130 of the opening 88 of the case 75 (see FIG. 8). 11), when the door 76 is further rotated to the closing posture side, the lock member 91 is retracted to the inside of the door main body 89 while being relatively pressed by the upper edge portion 130. When the door 76 is completely changed to the closed position, the lock member 91 protrudes from the door body 89 again as shown in FIG. 11, and the key 133 is in contact with the upper edge 130 of the case 75. (See FIG. 6).

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, the key portion 133 of the lock member 91 is fitted into the lock member fitting hole 83 provided in the case 75. Since the lock member 91 is elastically urged so as to always protrude from the door body 89 by the coil spring 100, the lock member 91 is pressed against the upper edge portion 130. The position of the lock member 91 at this time is an intermediate position where the lock member 91 is retracted slightly to the retracted position side from the protruding position. In other words, the position of the upper edge portion 130 is determined so that the lock member 91 is disposed at the intermediate position when the lock member 91 is fitted into the lock member fitting hole 83. Since the lock member 91 is elastically pressed against the upper edge 130 whenever the lock member 91 is in the intermediate position, the lock member 91 is not easily detached from the lock member fitting hole 83. Accordingly, the door 76 in the closed posture is held in the posture.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lock release lever 92 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and is attached above the outer surface 105 of the door body 89. In the present embodiment, the door main body 89 includes a storage unit 150 that stores the lock release lever 92. The storage portion 150 is formed of a recess provided in the door main body 89, and the lock release lever 92 is fitted into the storage portion 150 when the lock release lever 92 is displaced as will be described later.

  A support pin 106 is provided at the lower end of the lock release lever 92. On the other hand, the door main body 89 is provided with a pin support hole 107. The support pin 106 is fitted in the pin support hole 107, so that the lock release lever 92 is rotatable about the support pin 106. Specifically, the lock release lever 92 stands up as shown in FIG. 6 so as to be substantially parallel to the outer surface 105 of the door main body 89, and a posture inclined at about 45 degrees (degree) (FIG. 11). Further, it can be freely rotated and displaced between the posture lying down substantially horizontally (see FIG. 12).

  The lock release lever 92 is inserted into the storage portion 150 of the door main body 89 as it stands up. When the lock release lever 92 is stored in the storage unit 150, the lock release lever 92 is substantially parallel to the outer surface 105 of the door body 89. That is, the front surface 131 of the lock release lever 92 is substantially along the front surface 79 of the case 75. The position of the lock release lever 92 at this time is defined as a “storage position”. Further, the position of the unlocking lever 92 when the unlocking lever 92 is inclined approximately 45 ° is defined as a “neutral position”, and the position of the unlocking lever 92 when lying down approximately horizontally is the “falling position”. Is defined. An arrow is displayed or carved on the upper surface 151 of the lock release lever 92. Thereby, the operation direction of the lock release lever 92 is clear.

  The lower end portion 108 (predetermined portion) of the lock release lever 92 is formed in a predetermined outer shape. The lower end portion 108 constitutes an interlocking cam for sliding the lock member 91 up and down when the position of the lock release lever 92 changes. As will be described in detail later, when the interlock release cam 108 is provided, when the lock release lever 92 is rotated from the storage position to the lying position through the neutral position, the lock member 91 is moved from the protruding position to the above position. It slides to the retracted position through an intermediate position. In other words, when the lock member 91 is in the protruding position, the lock release lever 92 is disposed in the storage position, and the door 76 is closed as described above, and the lock member 91 is connected to the upper edge portion 130 of the case 75. In the state of being in contact with the lock release lever 92, the lock release lever 92 can be freely displaced between the storage position (see FIG. 6) and the neutral position (see FIG. 11). At this time, the position of the center of gravity is set so that the lock release lever 92 is always displaced to the neutral position by its own weight.

  FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the refill unit 10 and shows the operating procedure of the lock release lever 92. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG.

  The interlock cam 108 of the lock release lever 92 is in contact with the seat portion 109 of the lock member 91. In the state where the door 76 is closed (the state shown in FIG. 11), the lock release lever 92 tries to rotate further clockwise by its own weight. That is, the lock release lever 92 tries to rotate in a direction of pressing the lock member 91 further downward via the interlock cam 108. However, since the lock member 91 is always elastically biased upward by the coil spring 100, the lock member 91 is not displaced only by the action of its own weight of the lock release lever 92, and the lock member 91 is in the intermediate position. Maintained.

  However, as shown in FIG. 12, when the lock release lever 92 is further rotated clockwise, for example, an operator who wants to replace the ink cartridge 63 operates the lock release lever 92 to rotate it. When moved, the lock release lever 92 is rotationally displaced to the lying position. When the unlocking lever 92 is displaced to the lying position, the interlocking cam 108 is rotationally displaced about the support pin 106 and pushes down the seat 109 of the lock member 91. As a result, the lock member 91 moves downward against the elastic force of the coil spring 100 and is displaced to the retracted position. When the lock member 91 is displaced to the retracted position, the door 76 is unlocked, and the door 76 can change from the closed position to the open position.

  Since the lock member 91 is constantly subjected to the elastic force of the coil spring 100, if there is no turning force acting on the lock release lever 92, in other words, if the operator releases the lock release lever 92, The lock member 91 has a posture that protrudes most from the door body 89. At this time, the lock release lever 92 is forcibly displaced to the storage position. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, when the door 76 is in the open posture, the lock release lever 92 is in a posture that is almost accommodated in the door main body 89. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 8, when the ink cartridge 63 is replaced, the lock lever 92 is almost housed in the door body 89, so that the door 76 is in a substantially horizontal state. Thus, the operator can easily replace the ink cartridge 63 because the rotation shaft portion 94 can be rotated about the rotation center. Further, the two protrusions 141 and 142 provided on the wall surface 84 of the pressing and holding member 90 cooperate with a guide portion between the bent portions 97 described later when the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 78. It also acts as a guide. That is, when the ink cartridge 63 is inserted into the storage chamber 78, the operator places the bottom surface of the ink cartridge 63 on the protrusions 141 and 142 and places the tip portion of the ink cartridge 63 between the bent portions 97. The ink cartridge 63 may be pushed in the direction toward the storage chamber 78 as it is. Further, when the ink cartridge 63 is extracted from the storage chamber 78, the operator only has to extract until the bottom surface of the ink cartridge 63 reaches between the bent portions 97 and the protrusions 141 and 142.

  When the multi-function device 10 is in a normal use state, the door 76 of the refill unit 70 is closed and the lock release lever 92 is disposed at the neutral position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the opening / closing lid 72 is opened when the ink cartridge is replaced, the lock release lever 92 is tilted toward the operator side. For this reason, the said operator has the advantage that the lock release lever 92 can be operated easily. By the way, since the refill unit 70 is disposed on the front surface 71 of the multi-function device 10 as shown in FIG. 1, if the lock release lever 92 is disposed at the neutral position, that is, it may be inclined to the front side. For example, a large space needs to be secured in the multi-function device 10 to accommodate the refill unit 70. Therefore, the refill unit 70 needs to be disposed inward from the periphery of the opening 73, and therefore, the external dimensions of the multi-function device 10 may be increased.

  However, in this embodiment, the lock release lever 92 can freely rotate between the neutral position and the storage position when the door 76 is in the closed position with respect to the case 75. The unit 70 can be disposed near the periphery of the opening 73. Even when the refill unit 70 is disposed at the periphery of the opening 73, when the opening / closing lid 72 is closed, the inner wall surface of the opening / closing lid 72 contacts the lock release lever 92, and the opening / closing lid 72 is completely closed. This is because the lock release lever 92 is displaced to the storage position while being pushed by the opening / closing lid 72. Therefore, in this embodiment, the compact design of the multi-function device 10 is possible.

  FIG. 13 is a side view of the ink cartridge 63. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 63.

  The ink cartridge 63 is for storing ink in advance as described above, and includes the cartridge main body 111 and the ink incorporated therein. In the present embodiment, since the refill unit 70 accommodates four ink cartridges 63, each ink cartridge 63 stores ink of each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. However, as is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 5, the structure of each ink cartridge 63 is such that only the ink cartridge 63 that stores black ink is slightly larger in the thickness direction than the ink cartridges 63 of other ink colors. ing. This is because, in general, the demand for black ink is the largest and is consumed in large quantities. The structure of the ink cartridge 63 that stores inks of colors other than black is the same.

  The cartridge body 111 is made of resin. In the present embodiment, the cartridge main body 111 is formed in a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and an ink storage space in which ink is stored is partitioned. The cartridge main body 111 is composed of two tray-like members 112 and 113, and these two members 112 and 113 are joined by welding or other known fixing means. The joining portion 143 is formed by joining the cartridge body 111.

  The air introduction valve 85 is provided on the back surface 114 of the cartridge body 111. In the present embodiment, a check valve is disposed in the inner part of the air introduction valve 85. When the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, a push rod provided in the case 75 is inserted into the air introduction valve 85, whereby the check valve is opened. An ink supply valve 115 is provided on the back surface 114 of the cartridge body 111. When the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, an ink supply pipe provided in the case 75 is connected to the ink supply valve 115, and ink is recorded through the ink supply pipe. It is supplied to the head 27. Further, the liquid level sensor 87 is provided on the back surface 114. The structure of the liquid level sensor 87 is not particularly limited, and a known sensor can be adopted.

  A fitting groove 116 is provided on the lower surface of the cartridge body 111. As shown in FIG. 14, the fitting groove 116 is recessed at the corner of the boundary between the side surface and the bottom surface of the cartridge main body 111. The fitting groove 116 extends in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge main body 111 as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the fitting groove 116 is provided on the left and right sides of the cartridge main body 111 (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 13, the fitting groove 116 opens on the back surface 114 of the cartridge main body 111, and extends into the front surface 117 side continuously to the back surface 114, and continues to the shallow groove portion 118. A boundary groove portion 119 whose depth (dimension in the vertical direction in the figure) gradually increases and a deep groove portion 120 continuing to the boundary groove portion 119 are further provided. The deep groove portion 120 is not continuous with the front surface 117 of the cartridge body 111, and therefore, an end surface 121 is formed on the front surface 117 side of the deep groove portion 120. In other words, the fitting groove 116 extends in a direction in which the ink cartridge 63 is inserted into and removed from the case 75 and is continuous with the back surface 114 of the cartridge main body 111 but is not continuous with the front surface 117, and the end surface 121 extends in the vertical direction. Have And the front-end | tip of the bending part 97 of the said drawing member 77 is contact | abutted to this end surface 121 as mentioned later.

  A groove 149 is also provided on the upper surface 122 of the cartridge body 111. As shown in FIG. 14, the groove 149 is recessed at the corner of the boundary between the side surface of the cartridge main body 111 and the upper surface 122. The groove 149 extends in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge main body 111 and continues to the front surface 117 and the rear surface 114 of the cartridge main body 111 as shown in FIG. Further, a recess 134 is provided on the upper surface 122 of the cartridge body 111. The recess 134 is substantially V-shaped and includes a front inclined surface 135 and a rear inclined surface 136. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the swing arm 123 is provided in a case 75 in which the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated. The swing arm 123 is elastically rotated clockwise by a tension spring 128 at all times. It is energized.

  When the ink cartridge 63 is inserted into the case 75, as shown in FIG. 7, first, the upper rear end 148 of the cartridge main body 111 comes into contact with the second arm 126 of the swing arm 123. When the ink cartridge 63 is inserted into the case 75 as it is, the swing arm 123 rotates counterclockwise and assumes the posture shown by the solid line in FIG. When the ink cartridge 63 is further inserted, the swing arm 123 rotates clockwise while being guided by the rear inclined surface 136 and is fitted into the recess 134. Further, when the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, the second arm 126 of the swing arm 126 is rotated counterclockwise again while being guided by the front inclined surface 135, and the posture shown by the solid line in FIG. Become. Further, when the ink cartridge 63 is inserted into the case 75, the ink cartridge 63 slides relative to the swing arm 123 and moves further to the right than the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. When placed in the position, the ink cartridge 63 is completely accommodated in the case 75. The predetermined distance in this case is the distance L1 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing the fitting structure of the ink cartridge 63, the case 75, and the drawer member 77 of the door 76. FIG. 15 (a) shows the fitting between the lower part of the ink cartridge 63 and the lower part of the case 75. The structure is shown, and FIG. 5B shows a fitting structure between the ink cartridge 63 and the drawing member 77.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, the partition wall portion 137 provided in the case 75 is fitted into the fitting groove 116 of the ink cartridge 63. When the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, the partition wall portion 137 provided on the top plate 82 side of the case 75 is also fitted in the groove 149 provided on the upper surface 122 side of the ink cartridge 63. At this time, the lower surface 155 of the ink cartridge 63 is placed on the bottom plate portion 80. As a result, the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated and held in a state of being positioned in the case 75 (see FIG. 6). When the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, the lower surface 155 of the ink cartridge 63 is placed on the door main body 89 and the bent portion 97 of the drawer member 77 is fitted, as shown in FIG. It enters into the joint groove 116. When the door 76 is opened from this state, the drawer member 77 rotates as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the bent portion 97 moves forward on the end surface 121 of the fitting groove 116 (leftward in FIG. 7). Pull on.

  However, the fitting structure of the ink cartridge 63, the case 75, and the drawer member 77 of the door 76 is not limited to the above structure. FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing a modification of the fitting structure of the ink cartridge 63, the case 75, and the drawer member 77 of the door 76. 4A shows a fitting structure between the lower part of the ink cartridge 63 and the lower part of the case 75, and FIG. 4B shows a fitting structure between the ink cartridge 63 and the drawing member 77. FIG.

  15 differs from the fitting structure shown in FIG. 15 in the fitting structure shown in FIG. 15 when the ink cartridge 63 is housed in the case 75. 16 is placed on the bottom plate portion 80 (see FIG. 16A) and placed on the door main body 89 (see FIG. 16B), the ink cartridge in the fitting structure shown in FIG. When 63 is accommodated in the case 75, the lower surface 155 of the ink cartridge 63 is not in contact with the bottom plate portion 80, and the upper wall surface 156 of the fitting groove 116 is brought into contact with the partition wall portion 137 (FIG. )) At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lower surface 155 of the ink cartridge 63 does not come into contact with the door main body 89, and the upper wall surface 156 is placed on the bent portion 97 of the drawing member 77, and the bent portion. 97 enters the fitting groove 116. Also in this modification, the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated and held in a state where it is positioned in the case 75. When the door 76 is opened, the drawing member 77 rotates as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the bent portion 97 moves the end surface 121 of the fitting groove 116 forward (leftward in FIG. 7). pull.

  FIG. 17 is a view schematically showing another modified example of another fitting structure of the ink cartridge 63, the case 75, and the drawer member 77 of the door 76. 4A shows a fitting structure between the lower part of the ink cartridge 63 and the lower part of the case 75, and FIG. 4B shows a fitting structure between the ink cartridge 63 and the drawing member 77. FIG.

  15 differs from the fitting structure shown in FIG. 15 in the fitting structure shown in FIG. 15 when the ink cartridge 63 is housed in the case 75. 17 is placed on the bottom plate portion 80 (see FIG. 17A) and placed on the door main body 89 (see FIG. 17B), the ink cartridge in the fitting structure shown in FIG. 63 is provided with a groove 138 on its lower surface 155. The groove 138 extends in the same direction as the fitting groove 116. A protrusion 139 that fits into the groove 138 is formed in the door body 89. The ridge 139 also extends in the same direction as the fitting groove 116 and is fitted into the groove 138. When the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, the lower surface 155 of the ink cartridge 63 is placed on the bottom plate portion 80 and placed on the door body 89, and the bent portion 97 of the drawer member 77 is fitted into the fitting groove. Enter into 116.

  When the door 76 is opened from this state, the drawer member 77 rotates as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the bent portion 97 moves forward on the end surface 121 of the fitting groove 116 (leftward in FIG. 7). Pull on. At this time, since the protrusion 139 is provided on the door body 89, the protrusion 139 is fitted into the groove 138 provided in the ink cartridge 63. Therefore, when the door 76 is opened, the ink cartridge 63 is stably pulled out from the case 75 without falling sideways. Thereby, the operation of taking out the ink cartridge 63 is performed more smoothly.

  In the multi-function device 10 according to the present embodiment, the used ink cartridge is replaced in the following manner.

  First, when the door 76 is closed in a state where the ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, the lock member 91 slides to the protruding position side as shown in FIG. It is in contact. That is, the lock member 91 is displaced to the intermediate position, and the door 76 is locked in the closed posture. When the door 76 is in the closed position, the lock release lever 92 can be freely displaced from the neutral position to the storage position as described above. At this time, when the opening / closing lid 72 is closed, the inner wall surface of the opening / closing lid 72 comes into contact with the unlocking lever 92, and when the opening / closing lid 72 is completely closed, the unlocking lever 92 is pressed against the opening / closing lid 72. While being done, it is displaced to the storage position. That is, when the opening / closing door 72 is closed, the external dimensions of the refill unit 70 are reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, the multi-function device 10 can be compactly designed.

  In order to take out the ink cartridge 63 from the multi-function device 10, the operator opens the open / close lid 72 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the refill unit 70 is exposed on the front surface of the multi-function device 10. In this embodiment, as described above, when the opening / closing lid 72 is opened, the lock release lever 92 of the refill unit 70 is displaced from the storage position to the neutral position, and as shown in FIG. Tilt. When the lock release lever 92 is in the neutral position, the lock release lever 92 is inclined to the side away from the front surface 79 of the case 75, so that the operator can easily operate the lock release lever 92. That is, the operator can easily put his finger on the lock release lever 92 tilted forward from the front surface 79 of the case 75, and can easily rotate this to the lying position.

  In this state, the operator opens the door 76 of the refill unit 70. Specifically, the operator puts his / her finger on the lock release lever 92 and pushes it down to displace the lock release lever 92 to the lying down position. Thereby, the lock member 91 of the door 76 slides downward, and the key portion 133 (see FIG. 12) of the lock member 91 is removed from the lock member fitting hole 83 of the door 76. The operator can open the door 76 as shown in FIG. 1 by pulling the lock release lever 92 as it is, and can take out the ink cartridge 63 in this state.

  When the door 76 is opened and the operator's finger is separated from the lock release lever 92, the lock member 91 is displaced to the protruding position as described above, and accordingly, the lock release lever 92 is displaced to the storage position. When the lock release lever 92 is displaced to the storage position, the lock release lever 92 is fitted into the storage portion 150 of the door main body 89 and is substantially along the front surface 79 of the case 75. Then, when the door 76 is completely released, as shown in FIG. 7, the front surface 131 of the unlocking lever 92 comes into contact with the opening / closing lid 72 (see FIG. 1), so that the door 76 becomes substantially horizontal. As a result, the operation of inserting and removing the ink cartridge 63 with respect to the case 75 is further simplified.

  In the present embodiment, the door 76 holds the lock member 91 in a slidable state. Specifically, the slide rail 101 of the door main body 89 guides the slide of the lock member 91. Therefore, the lock member 91 has an advantage that it can slide smoothly. Further, since the lock member 91 is constantly urged toward the protruding position by the coil spring 100, the lock member 91 slides toward the protruding position as soon as the door 76 is closed, and comes into contact with the case 75 at the intermediate position. When the lock member 91 is in the intermediate position, the lock member 91 is held at the intermediate position while receiving a certain elastic force from the coil spring 100, so that the lock member 91 is reliably engaged with the case 75. The door 76 is locked in the closed posture. Therefore, the operation of replacing the ink cartridge, particularly the operation of closing the door 76 and storing the ink cartridge 63 in the case 75 becomes easier and more reliable.

  In this embodiment, the lock release lever 92 includes the interlock cam 108, and the interlock cam 108 displaces the lock member 91 in conjunction with the rotation of the lock release lever 92. Therefore, the structure for displacing the lock member 91 is very simple. As a result, there is an advantage that the outer dimension of the case 75 and the outer dimension of the refill unit 70 are reduced.

  Further, when the lock member 91 and the lock release lever 92 are interlocked with each other, when the lock member 91 is in the protruding position, the lock release lever 92 is urged by the coil spring 100 and is automatically displaced to the storage position. Therefore, even if the door 76 is opened and the door 76 is laid down as it is, the door 76 assumes a substantially horizontal posture. When the door 76 is opened in a substantially horizontal state, the ink cartridge 63 can be easily inserted and removed as described above.

  When the door 76 changes from the closed position to the open position, as shown in FIG. 8, the drawer member 77 rotates about the rotation shaft portion 94, and the bent portion 97 is formed on the end surface 121 of the ink cartridge 63. It abuts and presses to the left in the figure (to the front side in FIG. 1). As a result, the ink cartridge 63 is pulled out from the opening 88 of the case 75 to the near side by a predetermined distance L1 so as to be scraped to the opening 88 side. Therefore, the operator can easily grasp the ink cartridge 63 and can easily pull it out from the opening 88.

  Next, a new ink cartridge 63 is inserted into the accommodation chamber 78 of the case 75 through the opening 88. At this time, the door 76 is in an open posture, and the ink cartridge 63 to be inserted into the storage chamber 78 is previously placed on the outer wall surface 110 of the bent portion 97 of the drawing member 77, and the outer wall surface 110. It is inserted into the storage chamber 78 while being guided. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the press holding member 90 is provided on the door 76, the new ink cartridge 63 is once mounted on the ridges 141 and 142 provided on the wall surface 84 of the press holding member 90. It is guided along the outer wall surface 110 of the bent portion 97 while being slid along the protrusions 141 and 142. Then, in a state where the new ink cartridge 63 is accommodated in the case 75, the operator changes the door 76 to the closed posture again. When the door 76 changes to the closed posture, the press holding member 90 comes into contact with the front surface 117 of the ink cartridge 63, and when the door 76 is completely closed, the press holding member 90 is moved to the ink cartridge. Is elastically biased toward the inner back side of the housing chamber 78 of the case 75. At the same time, the key portion 133 of the lock member 91 is fitted into the lock member fitting hole 83 provided in the case 75, and the door 76 is held in the closed posture.

  In the multi-function device 10 according to the present embodiment, the following operational effects are further exhibited.

  In this embodiment, the operator simply opens the door 76 of the refill unit 70, and the used ink cartridge is automatically pulled out, and the operator can easily open the new ink while the door 76 remains open. The cartridge can be accommodated in the case 75. That is, the ink cartridge replacement operation is very simple.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the swing arm 123 is provided on the top plate portion 82 of the case 75. The arm 123 presses the front inclined surface 135. That is, the elastic force of the tension spring 128 acts on the front inclined surface 135 of the cartridge body 111 via the swing arm 123, and the ink cartridge 63 is elastically biased toward the opening 88. Therefore, as described above, when the door 76 is opened and the ink cartridge 63 is pulled out from the opening 88 of the case 75 by the pull-out member 77, the swing arm 123 is simultaneously rotated clockwise in FIG. The front inclined surface 135 is pushed toward the opening 88 side. As a result, the swing arm 123 is fitted into the recess 134 formed between the front inclined surface 135 and the rear inclined surface 136, and the second arm 126 of the swing arm 123 contacts the rear inclined surface 136. Touch. That is, the swing arm 123 is held in the recess 134.

  As the swing arm 123 rotates and fits into the recess 134, the ink cartridge 63 is further pushed out of the case 75 by a distance L2. Therefore, since the ink cartridge 63 is pushed out from the opening 88 by the distance (L1 + L2), the operator can very easily hold the used ink cartridge 63, and more easily from the case 75. There is an advantage that it can be taken out.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a pair of drawer members 77 are provided, and these sandwich the ink cartridge 63 disposed in the storage chamber 78 in the width direction (see FIG. 15). Therefore, the ink cartridge 63 is drawn out from the opening 88 if it is positioned in the width direction by the drawing member 77. In addition, at this time, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bent portion 97 of the drawing member 77 is arranged substantially horizontally so as to smoothly continue to the placement surface 98 on which the ink cartridge 63 is placed. When a new ink cartridge is inserted into the housing chamber 78 from the opening 88, the new ink cartridge is securely supported by the drawing member 77 only by being placed on the outer wall surface 110 of the bent portion 97 once. Then, it is guided as it is on the placement surface 98 described above. Therefore, the operator can perform the ink cartridge replacement operation even more easily.

  In addition, each drawing member 77 is fitted into a fitting groove 116 that is recessed in the ink cartridge 63, but the width direction dimension d1 (see FIG. 9) of the pair of drawing members 77 is the width dimension d2 ( 14), the drawing member 77 does not protrude from the ink cartridge 63. By setting the dimension d1 to be equal to or smaller than the dimension d2, the door 76 is designed to be compact, and as a result, the refill unit 70 can be downsized and the multi-function device 10 can be downsized.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the refill unit 70 is disposed on the front surface 71 of the multi-function device 10, and the operator can insert and remove the ink cartridge 63 from the front surface side of the refill unit 70. Is even easier. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the door 76 changes to the open posture, the bent portion 97 of the drawing member 77 rotates to press the end surface 121 of the ink cartridge 63, so that the ink cartridge 63 is in the case. The bent portion 97 is pulled out from 75 and constitutes a guide member for inserting a new ink cartridge into the case 75 as it is. That is, the drawing member 77 also serves as the guide member, and as a result, the replacement work of the ink cartridge 63 is further simplified.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multi-function device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the internal structure of the multifunction device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the internal configuration of the scanner unit of the multi-function device according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating the internal configuration of the printer unit of the multi-function device according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a refill unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the main part of the unit main body of the refill unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the unit main body of the refill unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the door of the refill unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the door of the refill unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a refill unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 12 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. FIG. 13 is a side view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically illustrating a fitting structure of the ink cartridge, the case, and the drawing member according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically illustrating a modified example of the fitting structure of the ink cartridge, the case, and the drawing member according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a view schematically showing another modified example of the fitting structure of the ink cartridge, the case and the drawing member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

63 ... Ink cartridge 70 ... Refill unit 74 ... Unit body 75 ... Case 76 ... Door 78 ... Storage chamber 79 ... Front 83 ... Lock member fitting hole 88 ..Opening 89 ... Door body 91 ... Lock member 92 ... Lock release lever 100 ... Coil spring 101 ... Slide rail 102 ... Slide groove 108 ... Interlocking cam 117 ... Front 131 ... front of unlocking lever 150 ... storage part

Claims (4)

A case in which an opening through which the ink cartridge is inserted / removed is provided on the front surface, and a holding portion for receiving and holding the ink cartridge is formed continuously from the opening;
A door whose posture changes between a closing posture for closing the opening and an opening posture for opening the opening;
The door is provided so as to be slidable between a protruding position protruding from the door and a retracted position retracted from the protruding position to the door side, and is engaged with the case at an intermediate position between the protruding position and the retracted position. A lock bar that locks the closed position and releases the engagement by displacing to a retracted position;
Rotating between a neutral position tilted in a direction away from the front surface of the case and a stowed position along the front surface of the case when the door is in a closed position and pivoted away from the front surface of the case A refill unit comprising a lock release lever that is free and displaces the lock bar from the intermediate position to the retracted position by displacing from the neutral position to the lying down position.   The refill unit according to claim 1, wherein the door includes an elastic member that holds the lock bar in a slidable state and constantly urges the lock bar toward the protruding position. The lock bar includes a contact portion with which a predetermined portion of the lock release lever contacts,
The locking bar is displaced from the protruding position to the retracted position by pressing the abutting portion at a predetermined portion of the unlocking lever in conjunction with the displacement of the unlocking lever from the storage position to the lying position. The refill unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an interlocking cam is provided. The refill unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the door includes a storage portion that stores the lock release lever when the lock release lever is displaced to the storage position.

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